


home is where the heart is (my heart’s with you)

by dragcnlxrd



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arthur Pendragon Needs a Hug (Merlin), Boyfriends, Comedy, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Merlin is a Little Shit, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28111179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragcnlxrd/pseuds/dragcnlxrd
Summary: Merlin comes back from a two-week long work trip a little early to surprise Arthur...And there’s no harm done if in the end, maybe they’re both a little surprised.They also have a snowball fight.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 59
Collections: Merlin (early) Winter Creative Exchange





	home is where the heart is (my heart’s with you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aminte](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aminte/gifts).



> the inspiration for this fic actually came from a convo i was having with ro and hera on the tl about what would happen if merthur had a snowball fight.
> 
> i just wanna say,, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, OCTAVIA!!
> 
> ENJOY;33

A chill travelled down Merlin’s spine the same moment as a cold snowflake landed right on the tip of his nose. December in London was never usually like this; it only ever snowed near Christmas, but this year, apparently, nature couldn’t wait.

Leaving Heathrow, he hailed a cab. He put his luggage in the trunk, and took the front seat. He never liked to sit in the back seat when the shotgun seat was available; he liked chatting with the driver and making someone’s day, perhaps, just a tad better—just a tad more cheerful. He gave the address, and stared out the window, his eyes reflecting the snowfall outside.

Winter was Merlin’s favourite season, and now he was back in time to share it with his boyfriend. He smiled as he caught himself using the word ‘boyfriend’. It may have been months since they’d gotten together, but there was something about Arthur that got Merlin feeling oddly _giddy_ inside. It wasn’t any of that ‘love at first sight’ bullshit—never that. In Merlin and Arthur’s case it had always been more like love at first _fight._ He can still vividly remember how they’d bickered with each other, and how surprised Arthur Pendragon, King of the Prats (a title Arthur still secretly enjoys being called, because he just likes to be called King), had been when Merlin Emrys challenged him.

_Don’t stick your beak into a fight you can’t possibly win, Emrys_.

_Why, you’re not scared, are you, Pendragon?_

_What, of you? Please, I could take you apart with one blow._

_I could take you apart with less than that._

Merlin smiled at the memory.

“You’re not red as a tomato because of the weather, are you?” The taxi driver said as he chuckled, pulling him out of his thoughts. He blushed some more after realising what the man had said.

“Oh, hah…No, I’m just terribly excited to see my boyfriend, I guess…and a _bit_ nervous to be honest.”

“Why’s that?” the man furrowed his brows.

“Well, it’s just…I’ve been gone for two weeks, and it’s the longest we’ve been apart since we got together. And, I’ve heard before that distance makes things awkward…So I’m a bit worried,” he vented.

“Ah, well if he’s as special as your smiles indicate, I wouldn’t worry too much. Look, we’re nearly there!” the man said cheerfully, flashing Merlin a toothy grin.

Merlin smiled back, feeling giddy at the thought of seeing Arthur. “Special: yeah, that he is. Oh, and, I’m Merlin by the way!”

“Calvin,” he politely responded, taking a left turn. “ _And_ , we’re here!”

Calvin parked the car in front of Merlin’s building, and got out to help Merlin with his luggage. He grabbed the handle, pulled the suitcase out and slowly put it down. Merlin paid him and shot him a flashy smile before grabbing his bag and turning around to face his building. 

“Merlin,” he heard his name being called, and looked over his shoulder. “Good luck with your boyfriend!”

Merlin chuckled and offered his hand to Calvin, who accepted and shook his hand. “Thank you, Calvin, and Happy holidays!”

His new friend climbed into the driver’s seat, waved at him and left. 

Merlin climbed the stairs, dragging his suitcase behind him. He fished out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the main door. Luckily, his flat was on the ground floor, so he wouldn’t have to haul his suitcase up the staircase.

He unlocked the door and slowly tiptoed inside, making sure not to make any noise as it was only 9 AM and Arthur, who had worked late the previous night, was probably still asleep. Merlin was glad; he had the perfect opportunity to wake the Royal Arse up and surprise him with breakfast-in-bed. 

Pondering over his foolproof plan, he quietly walked to the guest room to pick out some fresh clothes from his suitcase and take a quick shower. 

When he crept inside though, he saw something he wasn’t quite expecting; Arthur was sleeping in the guest bed, clutching a pillow close to his chest. He was wrapped in the warmth of the comforter around him. From what Merlin could see, he was wearing the ‘Supergirl’ merchandise shirt Merlin had gotten him for their one-month anniversary. He looked positively adorable and Merlin’s heart melted at the sight.

He hesitantly placed a gentle hand on Arthur’s shoulder, and spoke softly. “Arthur?” He just clutched the pillow closer. Since he remained unperturbed, Merlin gently shook him. “Arthur, wake up…Please, for me?”

“Mmm,” Arthur finally stirred, and his eyes flickered open. He sleepily stared at Merlin, giving a half-dazed smile. “Hi,” he whispered. Then, his brain seemed to register their situation. His eyes widening, he stopped smiling and just stared owlishly. 

“ _Mer_ lin, what are you doing home?!” he asked, obviously overthrown by Merlin’s sudden appearance.

“Finished my article early, so I thought I’d come back and surprise you,” he said, shrugging.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve missed you.” Arthur cupped his cheek, just staring up at him for a while. His hand fell again after a few moments, and Merlin assumed he was still exhausted from the tedious amount of work he had been getting recently.

“I’ve missed you, too,” he said, leaning down to kiss Arthur’s forehead. “But, why are you sleeping in the guest room when you’ve got our whole bedroom all to yourself?” He asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Hm? Oh, our bed was starting to feel empty without you there with me, so I’ve been staying here for the past couple weeks…” as far as Merlin could tell, he was nervous—hell, he was _blushing_.

Merlin’s heart melted, _again_ , and this time, it did a flip. “Awe, Arthur… I’ll have to get back up soon to make breakfast, but do you want me to lie down with you? Only for a bit, though.”

Arthur was blushing even more now, but he still nodded, shifting further to make space for Merlin, who didn’t need to be told twice and was now getting under the covers, his back facing Arthur’s chest. They had both settled down after some more shuffling, when Arthur placed an arm on Merlin’s waist and pulled him closer to himself.

  
*************

“Arthur, let go! Come on, I need to get up. Arthur…Please, I’m starving,” Merlin grunted, trying to loosen Arthur’s hold on him. After a lot of attempts, he managed to finally get the arm off his waist. He slowly got up, making sure to cover Arthur properly with the comforter. 

Just as he was leaving the room, Arthur spoke again, “Come back to bed, Merlin,” he groaned, reaching a hand out to Merlin.

“Oh, God, you’re such a baby,” Merlin whined, as his stomach rumbled.

This got him to sit up. “I am _not_ ,” he practically _squawked_ , indignantly.

“You are. You’re a whiny, needy… _baby_!” he said, sticking his tongue out…And then, he dashed out the door as Arthur threw a pillow at him. 

Arthur soon realised he wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep, and tailed his boyfriend.

“Well, excuse me for wanting to spend time cuddling with my boyfriend after two weeks of not seeing him.” Arthur hugged Merlin from behind, his face in the crook of Merlin’s neck.

Merlin turned around, cupping Arthur’s face with both his hands, and kissed him, soft and slow.

“I missed you, a lot,” he whispered once he’d pulled away, breathing hard.

“I missed you, too,” Arthur pulled him closer, and sighed. “Would you, perhaps, like to go on a walk this afternoon? It’s snowing really hard, just the way you like it…”

“That’s actually not a bad idea, in fact I’d love to…But, don’t you have to go in for work?” he inquired.

“Nah, I can take a day off. I’m sure Gwen can manage the company without me for a day. So, do you want to go?” He asked, and Merlin just couldn’t bear to say no to those golden retriever-esque eyes. Honestly, it should’ve been illegal to look so gorgeous and adorable at the same fucking time—not to mention, after just getting up in the morning!

“Of course!” he said with a bright smile. 

“Good. Now, go take a shower. I’ll handle breakfast,” he said, winking. 

***********

Merlin got out of the shower, shivering, and hurried to dry himself off. He picked a full-sleeved, navy shirt, with a pair of jeans, and strode over to the kitchen counter, wearing a pair of rainbow, pride-themed socks.

“Have I ever told you how much I love those socks of yours? Because, I do,” He heard Arthur comment, and giggled.

“You’re a bisexual disaster, babe,” he said, staring at his boyfriend as he stirred the baked beans, with fondness in his gaze. 

“Be quiet, and eat your toast, Emrys,” retorted Arthur, but he had a smile on his face.

Merlin waited patiently, as Arthur handed him a plate with toast and baked beans and they both ate whilst discussing how stupid Boris Johnson was.

***********

“Merlin, wait! This--…Merlin, stop. This is what I get for being nice, isn’t it?”

He was throwing snowballs at Arthur at Godspeed, and the latter was just trying really hard to get snow out of his left ear. He really should’ve known Merlin and snow wouldn’t be a good combination, but _clearly_ , he was a self-destructive _arse_.

So, after what had felt like hours, Merlin finally seemed to stop to admire his work, and smiled smugly at his boyfriend, who was absolutely _smothered_ with snow at this point. But the smile quickly turned into a grimace as he saw the enraged look in Arthur’s eyes. He nearly ran for his life when he noticed him picking up a handful of snow and shaping it into a ball. 

Arthur looked back up at his eyes and gave a smirk Merlin could’ve sworn belonged to the devil himself. He, then, abruptly hurled the snowball at Merlin, who did actually run this time. Arthur ran after him with more snow in his hands, and shouted, “REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED COLD!”

“YOU’RE A MANIAC, PENDRAGON,” was the retort.

He was still running when Arthur had silently caught up to him, and launched the rest of snow at him. While Merlin was still recovering from the surprise attack, Arthur proceeded to lunge at him. They fell in an awkward mess of limbs tangled together, with Arthur on top. 

“And, _this_ is why you don’t mess with a Pendragon. Well, you’re free to mess with Uther, but Morgana and I?” Here, he touched a hand to Merlin’s cheekbone, caressing it with a knuckle, “You should be wary of us.”

“I’ll make sure to remember that,” he said, slowly, licking his lips. 

Arthur’s gaze travelled down to his mouth, and they both leaned in for a soft, lingering kiss. When they both pulled away, it was to stare at each other with slightly wide eyes.

“I love you, Merlin,” Arthur said, staring intensely.

Merlin didn’t know why, but somehow it only felt natural to say, “I love you, too.”

It felt natural, like they were meant to say it—like, it was just something that was waiting to happen for centuries.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked it! once again, happy holidays!!
> 
> leave a kudos or a comment if you’re feelin extra nice??


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